Daryl Dragon of The Captain & Tennille passes

Daryl Dragon, whose nickname “Captain” was bestowed upon him for the captain’s hats he used to wear onstage, has passed today from renal failure at the age of 76, with his former wife Toni Tennille at his side. Dragon was a classically trained pianist who would play keyboards with the Beach Boys from 1967-1972, and would form a duo with Tennille, recording “The Way I Want to Touch You” and signing with A&M in 1974. They shot out of the gates immediately with the #1 smash “Love Will Keep Us Together,” and had a handful of other hits over the years such as “Muskrat Love,” “Shop Around” and “Do That To Me One More Time.” Daryl was the son of Carmen Dragon, a legendary conductor and composer, and brother of Dennis Dragon, drummer and co-founder of the Surf Punks (who passed from his suicide in September 2017).